Region (England) - Definition and Overview

Regions of England

London South East South West West Midlands North West North East Yorkshire and the Humber East Midlands East of England

The region (sometimes known as Government Office Region) is currently the highest level of local government in England. There are nine regions, each with a government office and a few associated institutions, including a Regional Development Agency (RDA). London is a special case because it has an elected mayor and is governed by the London Assembly. As in several other European countries, England's existing regions also double as European Parliament constituencies for the election of Members of the European Parliament.

Devolution

The policy of the UK Government was to increase the power of government at the regional level, as part of the "devolution" that led to elected assemblies in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and part of the concept of regions in the EU. In accordance with this, referendums were to be held on whether to establish directly-elected regional assemblies in the three northern regions of North West England, North East England and Yorkshire and the Humber. The North East referendum was held on November 4 2004 decisively rejecting the proposal; the others were put on hold pending the evaluation of all-postal balloting.

The date of the referendums was announced in July 2004 by Nick Raynsford, after the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister took soundings as to the level of support. The referendum in the North East asked whether there should be an elected regional assembly in that region, and, as the assemblies are tied to local government reform, which pattern of unitary authorities they would like to see.

There is some strong opposition to the introduction of such assemblies, especially from the Conservative Party, but also from back-bench Labour Party MPs. Opponents of regionalism argue that instead of decentralising power from London, the new tier of government will simply take power away from county councils, and that the assemblies will be far weaker than those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It has been claimed by some that these regions were selected because they are traditionally Labour-voting areas, and so would be likely to return authorities supportive of the current government and would continue to do so if and when a Conservative government was installed.

With the "No" vote in the North East, there now seem to be few prospects for elected regional government in England outside London. John Prescott has announced that the other two planned referendums will not go ahead under the existing legislation.

Regional boundaries

The regions themselves have also been criticised as being largely based on those devised by the UK government in the Second World War for coordinating civil defence in England, and as too reliant on compass points for names.

Specific objections include:

• the North West region is too elongated, and Cumbria should instead be associated with the geographically closer North East;
• the Eastern region is too geographically diverse - from the marshlands of East Anglia to suburbs of London in Hertfordshire;
• the South East region is too large, in terms of both population and area;
• the South West region is either too large (Gloucestershire being considered a West Midlands county by some), or too small (and that Hampshire and Berkshire should be associated with it), or just insufficiently similar to Thomas Hardy's Wessex

Other suggestions have included a new Marches region, consisting of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, and Worcestershire; or that Cornwall should form a region in itself.

The government is committed now to the borders of the three northern regions, but could order a review of the boundaries in the rest of the country.

Other systems of regions

Standard Statistical Regions

Prior to the establishment of the 'Government Office Regions', there were eight 'Standard Statistical Regions':

Redcliffe-Maud provinces

The Redcliffe-Maud Report produced by the Royal Commission on local government reform in 1969 recommended the creation of eight provinces. In approximate terms, these were to be

1. North East - as per North East England
2. Yorkshire - as per Yorkshire and the Humber
3. North West - as per North West England, excluding southern Cheshire
4. West Midlands - as per West Midlands, including southern Cheshire
5. East Midlands - as per East Midlands, less Northamptonshire
6. South West - as per South West England
7. East Anglia - Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, northern Essex
8. South East - South East England and Greater London with Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, southern Essex

Britain in Bloom regions

Britain in Bloom divide England into 12 regions. They are broadly the same as the government office regions, except that Cumbria is a region in itself, and South East England into three - Thames and Chilterns, Southern England and a rump South East England.

National Trust

The National Trust has 10 regional offices in England. These are

• Devon and Cornwall
• East of England - as region
• East Midlands - as region
• North East England - North East England and Yorkshire and the Humber
• North West England - as region
• Thames and Solent - Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, London, Oxfordshire, Hampshire
• South East England - East Sussex, Kent, Surrey, West Sussex
• West Midlands - as region
• Wessex - South West England without Devon and Cornwall

See also

Subdivisions of England, List of subnational entities, UK topics

External links

• Boundary committee for England (http://www.boundarycommittee.org.uk/)
• Boundary committee's map (http://www.boundarycommittee.org.uk/your-area/)
• Regional Gateway (http://www.odpm.gov.uk/regions/)

The United Kingdom (UK)
England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland
Regions of England
East of England | East Midlands | Greater London | North East | North West | South East | South West | West Midlands | Yorkshire and the Humber